Category: Sports

Hopeful about his future after overcoming loss, Ryan Ware is living his dream life as a first round draft pick. He’s enjoying every crazy minute of fame, fortune, and gorgeous women.

Despite being the most sought-after writer in romance, severe anxiety keeps Leah Jones isolated. Having a regimented life keeps the triggers at bay that could put her back in the hospital, perhaps permanently.

A chance meeting in New Orleans, Leah’s brown eyes capture Ryan’s heart, and he vows to learn more about this reclusive beauty.

Can Leah’s anxieties withstand Ryan’s crazy life? Can Ryan learn enough about real love to be the right man for Leah?

Anxious Love contains explicit scenes of a sexual nature and is not suitable for readers under 18 years of age.

Excerpt: Because of my anxiety, I perceived the world differently. The medicine helped, but when it wore off, it wasn’t like Cinderella’s carriage turning back into a pumpkin at precisely midnight.

It was more subtle, more gradual. It was a whole different way of reacting to the world, and it took a little more concentration. Something I couldn’t do with him studying me.

But then he rubbed his hand up my arm and he licked his lips and leaned into me and the world slowed down.

“Hey, you okay?”

I concentrated on his voice but couldn’t stop staring at his lips. I tried to pull my gaze away from them, from him, but I couldn’t. His facial expressions made me feel adored, and I didn’t want to miss a thing.

I leaned in further to get a better look, but my eyes closed and the next thing I knew, his lips touched mine. I pulled back a little and opened my eyes. The world caught up to whatever dimension we were in. It was much too abrupt for the moment, and I felt on the verge of a panic attack, but then I thought, maybe …

I closed my eyes, leaned in, and kissed him again. My lips parted and I licked them, but my tongue rubbed against his lips and retreated. We were so close. His lips shifted into a grin, and I parted my lips in surprise. He reached his hand behind my neck and pulled me closer as his tongue entered between mine.

A muffled giggled escaped, and I was surprised to find it came from me. It disappeared into his mouth, which made him grin and pull back. The world stayed calm as I thought about how his lips felt on mine. His tongue swiped against my tongue with confidence. I opened my eyes and peered into his. They were no longer light; they had a definite dark hue and the color swarmed as if wondering how to take in the person they saw before them.

Is it possible that I found something else to balance me?

I leaned back, but as his hand slipped away from my cheek, I placed my hand on it to keep him firmly in place. I looked off to my right and the streetcar clinked by and people were strolling down St. Charles Avenue. I turned to my left and watched a group of kids cut across the park on their way home from school.

I turned back to Ryan and smiled. He smiled back, and to thank him, I kissed him.

I removed my hand from his, satisfied it would stay where I wanted it. My hand reached out to touch his chest. I wanted to confirm it was as solid as I imagined. My brief hug a few nights before had only hinted at it.

I touched his skin peeking out the top of his t-shirt and ran my knuckle across the top. It was his turn to shiver, but it deepened the kiss as his tongue pressed into my mouth. I flatted my head on his chest and pressed back; he was solid, unmovable. He laid a soft little kiss on my mouth before pulling back and looking down at my hand splayed across his chest.

His face tilted and he stared with a sexy grin.

“Did you just kiss me?” he asked in a whispered tone.

The Reviews are in:

“I seriously LOVE this story it was incredible.” – Karen Book Addiction

My goal this month was to show the diversity in sports romances. Not just in the characters, but in the sports, too. Here is my tribute to water sports.

Welcome Shannon O’Connor.

1.What is it about the sport in your romance that inspired you to write about it?

I wanted to write about the city I live in which is Huntington Beach. It’s also called Surf City so I chose the hero to be a professional surfer, so it was kind of a given. Originally, I didn’t set out to make it a Sports Romance–it was always about these two people that meet and how love evolves through challenges.

2.Is your sports hero based on a real sports figure? If so, who and why?

Not really based on a real person, but I wanted him to be and act as close to a real pro-surfer as I could write him. There is some significance to his last name. It happens to be Slater which is associated with surfing because of the famous Kelly Slater. What many people don’t know is my last name is Slater, so when I started writing him–the name Chad Slater fit him so well, that when I decided to publish the book I had to come up with a pen name for myself, which is my birth name.

3.What kind of research did you do for the sport in your romance?

Already knew a good amount, but I researched which competition boards were most popular with the pros. I also watched and took notes while watching US Open of Surfing and other competitions around the world. I followed the schedules mapped out on the internet so that the surfers in my books had real places they would be flying to. Plus, asked my husband things since he used to surf quite a lot.

4.Best advice for other authors who want to write sports romance?

Really know the sport you want to write. It needs to be something you can relate to or the readers won’t be able to relate along with your writing. Only write it if it feels right.

5.What sports romance are you working on next?

In the future I will spin off surfers met in The Waves Trilogy. I’m also thinking of co-writing with my author friends someday, if it works out.

Shannon is giving away an ebook combo pack of her Red Waves-book one & White Waves-book two. Tell her about a water adventure, real or bucket list.

1. What is it about the sport in your romance that inspired you to write about it? I think there’s something very sexy about a man (or a woman) that uses their bodies and minds to achieve success. Add in the unique settings that sports arenas provide and I think it’s a no-brainer. For the Wild Riders series, in particular, the adrenaline that accompanies the job and the high stakes drew me in.

2. Is your sports hero based on a real sports figure? If so, who and why? There are always some elements of real life in my writing. My husband used to race motocross and we are avid fans of today’s riders. I follow a lot of them on social media, along with their spouses, which gave me a small glimpse into their lives off the track. There are a lot of people who contributed to my heroes and heroines.

3. What kind of research did you do for the sport in your romance?Google is a girl’s best friend! I spent a lot of time watching videos and reading articles about the sport and riders. Nothing beats heading out to the track to watch a race, though!

4. Best advice for other authors who want to write sports romance? I think you have to really love a sport to write about it, especially when it’s for a series. If you’re going to write about something for an extended amount of time, you should be a fan.

5. What sports romance are you working on next?I have a lot of irons in the fire at the moment. My next planned release isn’t a sports romance, but there is an element of adventure that I think will satisfy all of the Wild Riders fans.

J. Sterling writes about baseball and characters with emotion and heart.I love this book.

1. What is it about the sport in your romance that inspired you to write about it?
Baseball has been in my life for as long as I can remember. I was born and raised on Dodger baseball and I played softball for 12 years. But mostly, this story is based on some very real things that happened to me, so I kept it real with the sport as well.

2. Is your sports hero based on a real sports figure? If so, who and why?
There is a very real Jack F’n Carter. I don’t know what to say about him that I haven’t already said before… he’s just… he’s a loveable screw-up.

3. What kind of research did you do for the sport in your romance?
I did minimal research since I knew that majority of what I wanted to write about already. I did reach out to a couple of baseball wives to make sure a couple things that I was writing were accurate (for The Perfect Game, but for The Game Changer especially) and they did not disappoint.

4. Best advice for other authors who want to write sports romance?
Know what you’re talking about. This goes for anything that you’re referencing- do your research and make it accurate.

5. What sports romance are you working on next?
I’m not writing a sports romance at the moment- but Jack & Cassie did have a couple of kids, so…….

J. is giving away an ecopy of The Perfect Game to start your Jack and Cassie journey. In the comments, name your favorite sports romance.

I say I’m a sports romance writers, but up until now, I’ve only written about football. That is my GAME. I love it. Every aspect of it, the stories on and off the field. I love the drama, triumph, tragedy, and emotion of it all. It is such a microcosm of our society, but every scandal draws attention because they are in the spotlight.

Football has it bad guys (Rice, Hardy, A. Smith) and its good guys (Aikman, E. Smith, Johnston) – I’m a Cowboy fan if you can’t tell.

It has its characters and its all about second chances, or third or sometimes four.

In most occupations, there is a separation between work life and personal life, but I think to be a good professional athlete, to be a good football player, the game has to be your life.

I think that’s why I write about these complex characters because to be good, the game has to be their life, but if something is above the game, it’s love.

Love will throw anyone off their game.

Excerpt from Anxious Love:

I wasn’t sure how she did it; she didn’t offer advice, she listened and asked questions and I didn’t feel weird about telling her my insecurities.

“Nothing is going to make him feel good about you taking his job.” Her little face scrunched up as she thought about how to help me.

My bad mood was gone. The killer blowjob helped, but what sealed it was lying in bed next to this beautiful woman. She might be cute and little, but she was wise and she understood me.

“Yeah, I could learn right tackle if I have to, but I am always looking at what’s best for the team. In three practices, it’s a little disillusioning to find out not everyone feels the same.”

“It’s weird when you all of sudden discover the world is different than you would like it to be.”